Ed Pastor: “I rise today to stand in opposition to this resolution. As illustrated by the House Majority Leader's memo establishing…”

“I rise today to stand in opposition to this resolution. As illustrated by the House Majority Leader's memo establishing this debate as ``a portrait of contrasts between Republicans and Democrats,'' the primary intent of this resolution is political--shifting attention from the real issues behind the slow progress in Iraq. In this election year, just 4 months shy from the polls, Republicans are using this resolution as a divisive strategy rather than holding a substantive debate on Iraq. Today's debate, which should have been an opportunity for Members of Congress to have a serious discussion on the war and to pose tough questions to the Administration on Iraq, has regrettably become nothing more than a partisan ploy. While I do not hesitate to applaud certain aspects of the resolution honoring the sacrifices of our courageous soldiers who are risking their lives in Iraq, I cannot be supportive of capitalizing on these very sacrifices for political gain. I also disagree with the dangerous analogy made in this resolution between Iraq and the Administration's ``war on terror'' policy. There is not, and never has been, any credible intelligence linking Iraq to 9/11 and Al Qaeda. Focusing the discussion on the war on terror and victories won, rather than on workable policies to bring our troops home, reduces this debate to no more than a justification for maintaining the Administration's status quo agenda in Iraq.…”